2014 Ford Focus · symptom sheet

Power steering cuts out or goes heavy

134owner reports
59,000median miles
$2,100median quote
5involved a crash

Newest report Aug 6, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

204 of the 2,452 complaints on this car are about the steering system. 134 of those describe power steering loss.

1 recall on this systemcovering the 2014 model year

5 crashesin 134 reports

2 people hurtin these reports

1 firein 134 reports

Tick what matches of 134 reports

steering suddenly went heavy

a power steering warning came on

it came back after restarting

happened at low speed or parking

happened while driving

Power steering loss on other Focus years

2014134 reports 201556 reports 201627 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2017, 2018.

What this problem usually is

Power steering loss is the steering wheel suddenly going heavy, usually with a warning on the dash. Nearly six in ten complaints in this group mention a warning light or message, and almost two thirds mention driving or highway speed rather than parking.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the steering rack (20 reports), the EPS motor or module (7 reports) and the column (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

One recall on the steering system covers the 2014 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

14V-514Aug 22, 2014

Do not drive Steering

The affected vehicles may have steering gears that were incorrectly assembled.

Risk, remedy and owner complaints on recall 14V-514

All 12 recalls on the 2014 Ford Focus, with the owner complaints on each recalled system

What owners paid

17 of the 134 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,900 to $2,500.

$1,900$2,100$2,500

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 42,000 and 85,000 miles, from the 117 reports that gave a mileage.

What owners wrote

“When I turned on my car the power steering said at fault and normally I could turn it off then turn it back on and it worked but after that time it never turned back on”
Filed Aug 6, 2026

“I was driving down the road when the car dinged and a yellow light came on the bottom of the dash and it said steering loss please pull over for safety reasons so I pulled over shut the car off waited a couple minutes and then turned the car back on and the light turned red and I had no power steering at all.”
Filed Jun 10, 2026

“The power steering went out while driving it. She could hardly turn the vehicle to get it to a parking spot. Vehicle needs a new steering assembly. My daughter drives this. So many other concerns about steering issues on this type of vehicle.”
Filed Oct 27, 2023

“The steering assist went out at approximately 27000 miles without any warning. I was heading out to work and the steering locked up and I had to manually turn the wheel but I needed a lot of strength to get it to turn. The vehicle went to a mechanic to be diagnosed, and I was told the steering rack and pinion had failed and needs replacing.”
Filed Feb 6, 2023 · 27,000 miles

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 5 of 134 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works